Instructions

ZOOM IN by clicking on the page. A slider will appear, allowing you to adjust your zoom level. Return to the original size by clicking on the page again.

MOVE the page around when zoomed in by dragging it.

ADJUST the zoom using the slider on the top right.

ZOOM OUT by clicking on the zoomed-in page.

SEARCH by entering text in the search field and click on "In This Issue" or "All Issues" to search the current issue or the archive of back issues
respectively.
.

PRINT by clicking on thumbnails to select pages, and then press the
print button.

SHARE this publication and page.

ROTATE PAGE allows you to turn pages 90 degrees clockwise or counterclockwise.Click on the page to return to the original orientation. To zoom in on a rotated page, return the page to its original orientation, zoom in, and
then rotate it again.

CONTENTS displays a table of sections with thumbnails and descriptions.

ALL PAGES displays thumbnails of every page in the issue. Click on
a page to jump.

E68927 June 12 - 18, 2009 state politics Tom Richardson Fast facts on a slow day O ne of the pitfalls in the jour- nalism trade is the number of people you encounter who want to tell you how to do your job. It is, I suppose, fair enough, since that job involves to some degree gauging the public mood and reporting on matters of general public interest; matters, in other words,on which almost everyone has an opinion. It is also a trade that frequently involves telling others how to do their job. But there are a couple of phrases that invariably rankle with report- ers, when you ask a question about a given topic, and your interlocutor brushes it off with one of two ripostes: A) “Oh, honestly, nobody out in the real world cares about that!” or B) “Oh, I see, bit of a quiet news day is it?” Interestingly, both phrases have been utilised by both sides of politics in the past week, and both in relation to the very same issue – the Dodgy Documents affair. Lest we forget, the scandal occurred after the Opposition got hold of a series of leaked emails that purported to implicate senior ALP figures in an illegal fundrais- ing scam involving a company with ties to the Church of Scientology. As it turned out, of course, the docu- ments were fake and the joke was on the Opposition – not to mention several threats of litigation. For the Libs, and Martin Hamilton-Smith in particular, this issue is fast becoming a big stinking albatross well and truly trussed around their neck. It refuses to go away, and after all this time, senior Liberals still have no idea how to deal with it. Most use one or other of the above-mentioned chestnuts. Hamilton-Smith himself tends to go all quiet and distant whenever it is mentioned. But they’re going to have to think of something fast, because the issue will continue to dog the party, as all the while Labor continues to make mileage out of the budget. To give them their due, the Liberals have tried keenly to keep budget critiques on the media radar this week. On Monday, they put up David Pisoni to bemoan what he claimed to be Government inaction on education. But he was somewhat wrong-footed by the revelation in that morning’s Australian that Liberal media advisor Kevin Naughton stood to have his legal fees indemnified by taxpayers, as he is technically a public servant. A little put out at being asked about the Liberal Party’s bugbear, rather than the education budget spiel he had been diligently rehears- ing, Pisoni clammed up, before spluttering: “Oh, really, no one out in the real world cares about that, do they?” or words to that effect. It has always struck me as an odd retort; surely if a reporter is asking questions about something, it means they’re interested in your response, doesn’t it? Do they really expect us to say: “Oh wow, you’re right! How boring we are! Oh, well, just forget about that question then, let’s get back to your pre-prepared diatribe about the budget...”? Interestingly, though, it wasn’t just the Libs running a mile from the story. The Premier seemed distinctly put out when asked about Naughton’s good fortune (perhaps this has something to do with the fact that Attorney-General Mick Atkinson also had his legal costs picked up by the taxpayer in a recent defamation case brought against him by Deputy Chief Magistrate AndrewCannon). He made the point that he was not personally suing the Liberal spin doctor, before adding that he was again being forced to deny something that wasn’t true (which he wasn’t, because no one was alleging any such thing) and adding used his infamous Twitter updates to spin some mischief on budget day, suggesting that they were “counting numbers, and I don’t mean budget figures”. This led to a rather amusing exchange when I rang one of the usual suspects for comment, who told me I was being “ridiculous” before promptly hanging up on me. Nonetheless, MH-S could be forgiven for thinking he is running out of friends. This might explain why he was seen breaking bread with Rob Lucas at North restaurant in the Casino last Tuesday. You may recall that last week Premier Mike Rann (left) giving thanks for federal spending and (above) David Pisoni: wrong-footed. Photo: Kate Elmes that “it must be a quiet news day” (which it was, but that didn’t make this particular story any less valid). Perhaps the ALP is beginning to feel that an ongoing money- grabbing litigation process makes it look precious, ruthless and mean-spirited – hardly a look one wants when campaigning for re-election under the mantra of “creating jobs”. It seems the Dodgy Documents scandal is an issue that none but the fourth estate wants to know about – a fact that guarantees questions will continue to be asked. In the meantime, we will continue to see government types out and about on construction sites wearing hard-hats and talking about “building for the future”. For the moment, the Opposition has become a minor distraction, rather than a major obstacle. Revelling in Liberal misfortune, the Premier the former Treasurer was fairly lukewarm in his response when asked about his party leader’s economic credentials. This week, while not exactly singing his praises, he was somewhat more diplomatic – and a tad coy – when I asked about the noteworthy tête-à-tête, which he insisted was “almost exclusively about the budget and issues leading to the next election”. Lucas says he is not aware of anyone counting numbers nor anyone manoeuvring to have numbers counted for them. “It’s a bit hard for anyone to start counting numbers if there isn’t anyone to count numbers for,” he noted cryptically. But, he insisted, the conversation was “all very cordial” and not at all to do with mending bridges, assuming of course that bridges needed to be mended (we seemed at cross-purposes on this point). So while the Opposition mends bridges, the Government is out building them – not to mention roads, train-lines and desalination plants. And almost exclusively funded bythe Commonwealth, in a budget with $4 billion of new spending, and only $500 million of it raised by state revenue. This is, I suppose, the advantage of incumbency.The Libs would no doubt have done little different, but it seems the advantage of incumbency is a long way off for them. The Independent Weekly 7 www.independentweekly.com.au Division Manager - Civil Allan Gilbert & Associates have a long and highly respected history in South Australia. As a market leader in Land Development they are committed to further strengthen their position in the market by providing quality engineering solutions and exemplary client service. Gilbert are a Division within the Fyfe Alliance; a rapidly expanding Adelaide based, national engineering consultancy. This commitment to strengthen and continually improve their business creates an incredibly exciting and rare opportunity for a passionate and highly driven natural leader. Reporting directly to the Managing Director of Fyfe Alliance you will manage an experienced team of 25 employees with long standing client relationships and ongoing work with both private and government sector clients. With outstanding commercial and inter-personal skills you will have an impeccable track record in; business management, building loyal and secure client relationships, inspiring and retaining staff and delivering the highest levels of engineering service. With considerable experience and a strong reputation in the Land Development sector, you will be well connected and confident with Business Development. Fyfe have laid down a clear strategy for the development of the company. This senior appointment will be a cornerstone for the growth of land development consulting within Fyfe and Gilbert. The successful applicant will have the credentials and desire to make a long term commitment to build and deliver within the Gilbert business. You will require energy and ambition for this role in Fyfe’s continued development and growth. This senior management appointment gives you the genuine ownership and responsibility that you crave for. With support from the Board you will be joining a vibrant and highly talented organisation focused on and well placed for further growth. For more information regarding this position, please contact Chris Tan on 1300 764 271 or 0404 605 551. Alternatively send a copy of your CV to chris@ctconsult.com.au ENGINEERING YOUR CAREER www.ctconsult.com.au Chris Tan Consulting BUILDING YOUR BUSINESS